With 2017 a now a fading memory of political turmoil, social upheaval and high-profile perverts, we can at least look back at the year's musical output and say that it was a great one. As is the custom, we've put together a list of 40 notable releases from the previous twelve months that we think are worthy of praise.

“I get the feeling we are moving through a period of despair. Perhaps this is due to the state of the environment, politics, or dealing with being "social" in the electronic age. We are so frustrated, so exhausted...we don't have the energy or money to plan for the future.I wanted to write lyrics that people can related to, and music that would energize that to forge ahead.”

Friday, 30 August 2013

Its been a short but
productive week here at Intravenous Magazine. Though a couple of
writers seem to have been struck by some kind of ancient Egyptian
curse that causes laptops to die, we've still kept up with the
output!

Thursday, 29 August 2013

Naked Lunch may be an
unfamiliar name to most, and with good reason, it's been thirty years
since they were last active. But in that brief time they built up an
impressive live resumé playing alongside the likes of DAF, Cabaret
Voltaire, Fad Gadget, B Movie, and Clock DVA. As well as having an
infamously banned single in the form of 'Rabies' to their name.However, now with a new line-up
completed by multi-instrumentalist Jet Noir and new single 'Alone' in
tow, the band is reinvigorated and ready to cement their legacy.

As a single, 'Alone' is
a very good starting point. Ambient and orchestral, with hanging
synths, semi-whispered vocals and a steady, but danceable beat it has
a definite club appeal whilst retaining the old school punky charm of
the bands batcave origins. The fact that the band have been haunting
the live circuit again for a couple of years prior to this single has
really given them a chance to immerse themselves in what is going on
today in order to naturally evolve their sound. The end result of
which is very promising.

In terms or production
the single may have a decidedly old-school vibe to it. However it is
nicely mixed and doesn't fall into the trap of trying to sound like
their early recordings. Instead it sounds bang up-to-date.

'Alone' is a good first
step for Naked Lunch. It has a lot of different things going on, but
it remains balanced and expertly executed. Hopefully a full-length
album will display the same kind of variety and attention to
detail... and arrive a little sooner this time around.

Pride And Fall released
their last album 'In My Time Of Dying' back in 2007 before receding
into six years of hiatus to focus on real life. Six years in music is
a long time by anyone's standards. It doesn't matter if you were at
the pinnacle of your genre as Pride And Fall had been. There is
always someone ready to take your place. Now after a return to the
stage at Infest already under their belt, the trio unleash 'Of Lust
And Desire' to remind the world who they are.

Pride And Fall's
futurepop tag always felt a little limited. The band always had a
gothic melancholy to their sound that set them apart. And this is
quite evident once again on 'Of Lust And Desire' as the sombre pace
of the songs combine with the distinctive resonance of Sigve Monsen's
vocals.

That's not to say it
doesn't have it's harder moments. The likes of 'Hollow', 'The The
Lights On', 'Fear Your Love' and 'Reborn' are pure ebm-fueled
dance-floor fodder. But it is that sombreness on songs like
'Passionate Pain', 'The Comforter', 'The Void – Let Me Go First'
and 'Epilogue' that make Pride And Fall so endearing. Their emotional
resonance permeates the throb of the bass and find perfect expression
in Monsen's gothic croon.

The album attempts to
pick up pretty much where they left off in 2007. But it feels more
well balanced and accomplished with songs perfectly crafted for both
the dance-floor as well as ones for more introverted listening. The
break seems to have given them more perspective and a few extra
tricks to pick from rather than simply trying to fall back into the
same old habits.

As you'd expect, the
album displays a nice and modern sounding production job for the most
part. Though the mix sometimes feels a little off with Monsen's
vocals coming off a bit on the quiet side in a fair few places, which
dulls the edges of some otherwise strong tracks.

This may be classed as
a “come back” album, but it honestly doesn't feel like Pride And
Fall have been away. 'Of Lust And Desire' is a more mature and
considered album, but they've lost none of their bite and should have
no problems in rediscovering their audience.

In an update to the previously announced
lineup, Uberbyte's headlining slot will now be filled by the equally
awesome XP8 at London's legendary Slimelight on September 28th 2012
with the incendiary support of Cease2Xist, The .invalid & Digital
Deformation for a night of hell raising live music showcasing some of
the finest talents the UK has to offer.

You wanted new
music...You wanted a rocking live show...You wanted the best...and
now you have it!

Avant garde musician
Jarboe (Swans) and multi-media artist and musician P. Emerson
Williams (Veil Of Thorns, Choronzon, Kkoalgulaa) have announced plans
for an ambitious world tour. The tour, will cover 21 countries in
ninety days beginning at the Stella Natura: The Light of Ancestral
Fires festival, Sierra Nevada, California and ending 21st December in
Moscow.

The tour will see
Jarboe joined by Williams on acoustic guitar for an experimental
acoustic set that will reinterpret the music of Swans and World of
Skin as well as newer material from 2013 self-released 'DREAMS' CD
and the 'INDEMNITY' series, which is set to be released on vinyl in
September by Burning World Records.

The tour will also see
Jarboe's first ever dates in Australia and New Zealand where the duo
will be joined by Scott Kelly (Neurosis) for a run of special
collaborative performances.

In advance of the tour,
P. Emerson Williams has released 'Det Er Stille Under Vatnet', an
experimental and stripped back acoustic guitar album which
demonstrates the musical style that will underpin the tour. While the
wardrobe for the tour was designed and hand sewn by Ovate, an
independent clothing line of designer Audrey Cantwell and made in
Montreal.

Friday, 23 August 2013

There's finally a bank holiday in sight! And as such We'll be taking full advantage of the extra day. But normal service will be resumed next Tuesday. In the meantime, here is what we had on offer this week.

ESO tour for the final time playing Europe and the UK (including Birmingham)

﻿﻿﻿

Dark rockers ESO have announced that the next tour, scheduled to start with an acoustic set in Croyden, is to be their last. ESO (starting life as EsOterica) stated "This final tour will be a celebration of everything we've achieved together and so we will be doing some extra special songs for these farewell shows."

Beginning with an exclusive acoustic set, set in Croyden on the 13th september, and then journeying to The Netherlands and France, the band will then return to the UK to play in citys like Birmingham and Bournemouth before coming to a storming finale in London.

The band, famous for such classics as 'Don't rely on anyone', 'The Divide' and the astounding cover of Sarah McLachlan's 'Silence' also said "We are so proud of everything we have achieved and are incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped us and especially to all our fans - you really are the best." Last month, drummer, brother and original member Luke Keast announced his departure after the tour.A live DVD is set to be released sometime in October and lead singer Toby Keast planning on further projects in the future. For Details on the final tour dates, visit: ESO's facebook page-I would personally like to say that I have followed these boys since the early days and it will be a shame to see them go. I have gone to every tour since I moved to the Midlands, and they have always been great to me. Never has a band treated me with such respect and I will be by their side for the final tour documenting their last stint around the UK. "Trust me, you won't want to miss it!"- ESO

Thursday, 22 August 2013

The Belgian electro-rock
band Doganov formed in 2010, but have already finely honed their
sound into something rather exciting. Blending, industrial, ebm,
metal and rock the band are heavy and yet danceable. Think
Gothminister, meets 'Sehnsucht' era Rammstein, with intermittent dashes of new
wave hooks sprinkled liberally throughout. It sounds like commercial gold, but bafflingly the band
remained unsigned.

Across the six tracks
on the band's promotional EP, they display a well-rounded sense of
songwriting that, while guitar heavy, is punctuated by driving synth
melodies and hard dance beats. Tracks like 'Endear You', 'Drain The
Ocean' and 'I Am The Dark' are astoundingly catchy songs that will
work quite nicely in a heavier club set or in front of a live
audience.

The 'History' single
builds nicely on the band's big tanzmetal meets ebm sound with a more
melodic outing that incorporates a little of Blutengel's vampire-pop
atmosphere into its formula. While the b-side 'Eyes Only' feels even
more dance orientated and possesses perhaps the best chorus the band
has recorded yet.

Both the EP and single
are extremely gratifying listens. However the production and mixing isn't quite there yet and the distorted guitars tend to meld with the harsher synth sounds
under the compression of the mp3 format. Yet that doesn't detract
from what is essentially a fundamentally solid outing for what is a relatively new band.

The band have a great
ear for riffs, the synth melodies are excellent, the dance-orientated
pace of the songs gives them a little more range in appeal, and the
vocals are performed with passion throughout. This should be a wet
dream for any A&R man worth his salt. So labels, sit up and take notice and don't expect Doganov to
be unsigned for much longer.

French electronic musician Rémy
Pelleschi, under the guise of Mlada Fronta, has been
releasing some truly innovative industrial music over the years. With the club hit 'XB-33', and
album 'High Tension' to his name, Mlada Fronta's discography has
been nothing short of impressive. And, over the course of a near 20 year career, Pelleschi has also taken the
project to stages around the world with over 500 concerts and
appearances at festivals, including DeciBELIO,
Maschinenfest, and Coma among others.

Now on 3rd September 2013, Artoffact
Records is releasing 'Every Thing', a ten-CD boxset that
collects all previous Mlada Fronta releases, including bonus tracks,
remixes, extra mp3 files, and all video material together. The boxset
comes as a hard cover digibook including 20-page booklet, all
designed by Pelleschi. With each release also remastered in 32bit
96kHz (hi-definition) using only state of the art analogue and
digital hardware at Pelleschi's own QFG Studios. The boxset will
also be made available as a digital release on iTunes, complete with
exclusive PDF booklets.

The collaborative
project between the duo of Alva Noto and Byetone (Raster Noton’s
co-founders) known as Diamond Version, have announced a worldwide
tour throughout this Autumn which will kick off with their début UK
performance on 19th September at
the Village Underground.

The tour is in support
of their latest release 'EP5', the final instalment in a series of
EPs that have unfolded across the year preceding the release of their
album. Their previous EPs will be collated into one bundle on 2nd
September with their début album due out in 2014, which will
feature a selection of the EP tracks alongside unreleased tracks and
new versions with guest vocalists.

TOUR DATES:

19 September - London,
Village Underground

21 September - Nantes,
Scopitone Festival (France)

27 September - Den
Haag, Todays Art Festival (Netherlands)

29 September –
Seattle, Decibel Festival (USA)

4 October - Mexico
City, Mutek Festival (Mexico)

1 November - Osaka,
Conpass (Japan)

2 November - Kyoto,
Metro (Japan)

3 November - Tokyo,
Liquidroom (Japan)

8 November - Berlin,
Berghain (Germany)

9 November - Torino,
Club To Club (Italy)

15 November - Roma,
Brancaleone (Italy)

'EP5' as well as the
previous releases are available now via Mute records. For more information on Diamond
Version, please visit their official website.

Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Two weeks ago the organisers from Bradford, signalled the
possible nail in the coffin for the festival. With increased competition from a
new festival emerging next year around the same date. The organisers in the
interest of putting on a great time, without incurring losses have decided to for the moment to let infest 2014 not take place.

Based on the University of Bradford the more than a decade
old festival has grown from one handful of bands, to a selection of the alternative
scene’s finest. What also made this festival a great end to the summer was the
addition of accomadation based on the university at cheap price, even better right next door
to The Union club/bar, where the events, merch and bars are based.

The great thing that is loved at Infest are the late
afternoon scheduled kick off, with the first artist being on at 4pm. Leaving
your morning with a late lie in bed, after the combination of dancing till your
Cyberdog wear is slathered in sweat, or your pinstriped trousers have become two
tight to pull off by oneself.

The price of the ticket is £50 for the weekend and just £40 for the entire weekends accommodation, which will probably amount to less then the train ticket!

Infest is a great opportunity of
the UK scene to save the expenses involved with flying to mainland Europe, and
instead convene in the middle and listen together to the music they love.
Infest each year is reaching its prime. The factor which makes this festival so
successful is the ability for it to be just relaxing enough. No demanding time frames,
not too many bands, close enough to civilization and slumber. So what can we
see for 2014?

Tuesday, 20 August 2013

There is a trend these
days for bands that were kicking about in the '80s and early '90s and
missed out on their chance to be written into the annals of music
history to reunite and have another crack at it. This has yielded
some great results with the likes of The March Violets and Defeat
being two that spring immediately to mind. Now joining the ranks of
the recently revived is Stockholm's Fatal Casualties. Originally
active between 1986 and 1991, the duo of Stefan Ljungdahl and Ivan
Hirvonen have reunited to unleash the début EP that never was.

The band's first
official outing, 'Paria', mixes old school attitude and modern
production as the duo unleash six cuts of industrial-tinged ebm that
recalls the likes of The Klinik (actually a lot of Dirk Ivans'
projects), Cabaret Voltaire and Skinny Puppy. It's dark yet
danceable, with songs like 'Aim', 'Drifting' and 'Glas' sounding like
genre classics. While 'En Nervkostym', 'Slippery' and 'Toys' turn up
the experimentalism for what will undoubtedly be some great live
tracks.

The songs have a very
old school vibe and are built around distortion and noise punctuated
by dance beats and melodic synths. Yet it doesn’t sound outmoded.
Ljungdahl and Hirvonen have put the work in and made the songs sound
as good as possible to compete in the modern scene.

It's a damn shame it's
taken Fatal Casualties as long as this to release an EP, but it is a
fine début to make. Lets just hope it doesn’t take as long for
them to come back with a more substantial full-length studio effort.

The recent EP release
'Last Dance' was an intriguing one. In the aftermath of Daniel Myer's
departure from the band there was a question mark hanging over
Covenant for a while. But 'Last Dance' for the moment showed there
was light at the end of the tunnel. For the first time, every member
of the band contributed to the songwriting duties for a brief but
diverse outing that displayed a fresh edge to their signature sound.
But now the true test comes in the form of the band's latest studio
album 'Leaving Babylon'.

From the opening
strains of the title track, it's evident that the band have continued
the momentum from the EP. The backbone of the album is made up of the
tried and tested reverential synth euphoria we've come to expect from
the band. Which they execute perfectly on tracks like 'Last Dance',
'Prime Movers', 'For Our Time' and 'Ignorance And Bliss'.

But there are some
quirky departures that retain the band's dance credentials while at
the same time pushing their sound a bit further than in recent years.
The harpsichord of 'Thy Kingdom Come', the sporadic guitar and chip
glitches of 'I Walk Slow', the piano lead on the closing ballad 'Not
To Be Here', and even the ambient drone of the hidden track 'Leaving
Babylon II' all hark back to the more adventurous years of Covenant
with a distinct emotional immediacy.

This is a very strong
release. The band have shown us their cards and they have a pretty
decent hand. But despite the renewed focus, there is still the
feeling that they're just holding something back. The songs are –
as always – well written, performed, produced and overall a little
more mid-paced than we're used to. But they don't really push things
as far as they hinted at on the 'Last Dance' EP. Instead they've
opted for a slow build and revealed just enough to pique
people's interests to see where they take it from here, but more than enough to restore your faith.

It has to be said that Day one hit some heights, it really
did. The mainstage programme was mouth-watering
(especially the back to back of Mesh/Saltatio Mortis/Cruxshadows/Mono Inc.) and
even HIM delivered the goods.

Assorted bands on Day two could have gone either way – which 69
Eyes would turn up? What sort of set would Apoptygma Berzerk churn out? Could
Zeromancer fill the void left by IAMX’s withdrawal? Well, these are amongst the
questions we set to find out on our picks for day two.

Coppelius were
third on the mainstage and the first to develop any sort of crowd. Quite a large crowd for lunchtime – had it
not been that most of the following
bands had similar crowds then they’d have a big argument for a higher bill
position. They’d fit in very well
within the Steampunk scene, clothing and attire is akin to 1920’s Berlin (so it
says in their bio) as they set out with courteous gentlemen and their
Butler. Even their stage crew are in appropriate
dress! They come armed with Cello,
Double Bass and clarinets – but – boy – do they rock with them! They are really
on the ball with the aesthetics and presentation and no wonder they got such a
big response.

Next up, sponsored by Just for Men, is Dad-Rock assemble The 69 Eyes. They’re today’s embarrassment. As per their last appearance here, they drop
most of their recent output and instead take most of their set from the ‘Blessed
Be’ album, which is now thirteen years old. So, it’s all ‘Gothic Girl’, ‘Brandon Lee’ and ‘The Chair’ kinda Gawth
set. They’re really getting a bit too
old to still be doing the whole “Helsinki Vampires” bullshit, sorry guys –
vampires don’t age: you do! You even
now dance round the stage like a Dad dancing at a wedding. It’s just not graceful, it’s not even disgraceful
in a rock n roll way. With the drummer
dropping his sticks constantly and more cliché’s than Spinal Tap – all we’re
missing is a mini Stonehenge with Dwarves dancing round it (oh wait, that was
Ost+Front yesterday). They were MUCH
better last time, but this is just cringe worthy.

Another band having issues with new material is Clan of Xymox – it’s not going down
very well. Surprising, ‘Emily’ is a cracking tune – it’s got that core hint of
what CoX have always been about, with some fresher sounding synths to keep them
relevant! A lacklustre response to the early part of the set does little to
lift glum Goth faces, but it does become a set of two halves, they can barely
get a clap going in the first half, but when they peddle out ‘Louise’ and ‘Jasmine
and Rose’ it’s full on Gothic Party Time. Their cover of ‘Venus’ rounds off the set emphatically, a far cry from
their tough start.

Apoptygma Berzerk : Back to the Future(Pop)
Photo by Bernd Zahn

It’s fairly interesting if you follow the history of Apoptygma Berzerk – arguably, at their
peak, one of the biggest bands on the scene. Hell, they played places like the main room in Nottingham Rock City back
in the day – they headlined Infest… while last year lost out to a slot at
Infest on a band poll won by XP8. Obviously XP8 are a great band – but it shows how APB have lost some
stock over the years. Their secret has
always been a clever one, rather than
being completely innovative off their own backs, they’ve looked to what is
popular and successful and just done it better.
So they’ve swung from darkwave into future-pop into indie-synth
territory. It hasn’t always worked
though, each swing has cost them fans as well as made them new ones – so when
they swung into future-pop with ‘Welcome to Earth’ they picked up more fans
than they lost – but however great ‘You and Me Against The World’ or ‘Rocket
Science’ actually were, they swung away from their fanbase and didn’t really do
enough to make new fans. Today, they’re suffering a form of amnesia as
they’ve forgotten anything from the last two albums and have gone back to the
future-pop – ‘Eclipse’, ‘Starsign’ and ‘Until the End of the World’ are all
pure party anthems. The band has seen a
few line-up changes since the last album, Angel left the band but is now back
on guitar is a temporary measure whilst the absence of Gier on keyboards is
filled with Stephan’s brother Jonas. Jonas is very lively on stage and is good as working the crowd as
Stephan, good job he’s got his own band else Stephan would be under threat!

The show is carried out with minimal production, no screens
or OTT light shows of days gone by – the focus solely on the songs and the
partying. Although the last two albums
were disregarded, there is one nod of new material as the band played their new
single, ‘Major Tom (Coming Home)’ – a cover of the Peter Schilling track. It’s another uplifting track to bounce along
to, the song was a big hit in Germany and the crowd gobbles up Apop’s version.

Zeromancer : we're not IAMX, but we can rock...
Photo by Jesko Doering

Poor Chris Corner has had prolonged ill-health and sadly
this has meant IAMX have had to cancel a few shows, including M’era Luna. This has meant that Zeromancer have stepped in, at under a week’s notice. Eek! However,
the end response is they are genuinely humbled by the response. “We’re sorry we’re not IAMX” greeted with a
heckle of “We forgive you!” and it is wall to wall people in the Hangar. Of course, this is helped that Zeromancer
bring their A-Game. They knew they’d
have to work harder and that is exactly what they do, they pour themselves into
the hour long performance. They also do
this whilst avoiding just doing a ‘hits’ or ‘early years’ set – so yeah,
everyone knows ‘God Bless the Models’ and ‘Clone Your Lover’ – but the likes of
‘The Hate Alphabet’, ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Boy’ and ‘Sinners International’ are
well received. Perhaps these albums have
been better promoted in Germany than they have in the UK… there’s a bit of range to their
industrial-metal stylings, sure there are heavier and upbeat moments like the
classic ‘Dr Online’, but they pull off the more calm and melodic ‘Cupula’ and ‘The
Tortured Artist’ with a sleak perfection. They probably didn’t envision such a good response to their set, but
with the effort they put into it, it was certainly deserved.

A quick passing note on Front
242. They don’t work in broad
daylight.

Nightwish : Bye, bye beautiful?!
Photo by Bernd Zahn

The final band of M’era Luna 2013 was Nightwish – it’s also the last date on their Imaginaerum world tour
and subsequently billed as Floor Jansen’s last date fronting the band. For those not following the story, Annette
left the band on mutual agreement prior to the Imaginaerum tour and Floor stood
in as a temporary measure (well, temporary being the year and a half the tour
needed!). There is, however, something
missing in the emotion tonight. It’s
either not that big a deal she’s departing, or maybe they’ve already discussed
her staying on longer – it certainly didn’t have an emotional farewell feel
about it. Vocally, she would be a great
addition to the band – her range from high to low is much wider than Annette’s
and her renditions of tracks like ‘Ghost Love Score’ and ‘Dark Chest of Wonders’
are simply mouth-watering. Not even the rain, the only real downpour of the weekend, dampens the spirits of the
thousands who’ve come to watch them. It
seems now that Floor has become a “fans choice” for new frontwoman, as she wins
over the crowd with such ease and generates such a good reception for each
number. Sometimes bands can look tired
at the end of long tours, but Nightwish generally look on the ball. Marco’s
booming vocals explode on ‘I Wish I Had an Angel’ and the band hit top form as
they power through many of their bigger numbers. It’s an impressive spectacle to end the
weekend, not just is there the power of the music, but the video screens take
you (literally) through their rollercoaster ride.

The set finishes with ‘Last Ride of the Day’ – certainly an
apt song to finish a set with, although is it more apt because it’s Floor’s
last show? It’s supposed to be – but the
farewell speech seemed to be lacking something, it wouldn’t come as a surprise
if she stays on as a vocalist for sure.

So, M’era Luna 2013. Sold out, 25,000 people. Some
utterly excellent performances over the weekend. Not bad for a dying scene. Of course this year they had unlocked some
bands that were overdue a return rather than relying on the same old
names. 2014 will be their 15th
Anniversary, the first twelve names have been announced: I wonder what else will
be announced to keep up this momentum?

It’s been four years since AFI have released any material
since 'Crash Love' back in 2009, whilst Davey and Jade continued with their
side project Blaqk Audio releasing their second album 'Bright Black Heaven',
as well as the other members pursuing their own goals, it begged the question when would AFI come back?

Thankfully the wait is over and they have returned with not
one but two new releases 'I Hope You Suffer' and '17 Crimes' which also
features as a remix on the new The Mortal Instruments – City of Bones movie soundtrack
out at the end of August. Their return has come as a breath of fresh air, AFI are sounding better
than ever, after acknowledging the world ebbed in mystery and haunting poetry we were teased with a series of small trailers to promote their new work,
over the weeks anticipation has grown. Now with their first single release 'I Hope You Suffer', out now via iTunes and just recently the release of '17 Crimes' gives us a glorious insight as to what's to come from the highly
anticipated release of their new album 'Burials' due for release on the 22nd
October 2013. AFI seem ready to set the world on fire once more.

With an unnerving opening sequence 'I Hope You Suffer' punches
out a furiously dark and immerse cry! With its beautiful hooks, melodic choir
break down and Davey’s impeccable voice with its first play alone it will leave
you with shivers and eager for more. It's a hauntingly stark and direct rock song,
manifesting itself into a harsh and evocative piece which seems to have been conveyed reminiscent from that of earlier works from the 'Sing the Sorrow' era. While I am inclined to agree '17 Crimes' seems completely the opposite with fast rhythmical and extraordinarily catchy verses this song holds dear to everything AFI do, more uplifting and highly infectious this will bring out your inner punk adolescence. AFI have
always aimed for perfection and so far this really isn’t far from it.This will be AFI’s first album on new label
Republic Records, produced by Gil Norton and mixed by Andrew Scheps, whose work
includes the likes of Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Thursday, 15 August 2013

German quartet Mono Inc.
have steadily been making inroads to the UK with their brand of
NDH-influenced gothic rock. Now they've changed tactics, scaling back
the heavy use of English lyrics and incorporating more of their
Teutonic mother tongue. You could build this up as a gamble on their
part. But across albums such as 'Voices Of Doom' and 'After The War',
they've more than proved their songwriting ability. After all, look
at Rammstein; most of their fans around the world can't understand
most of their songs yet they're one of the biggest bands in the
world.

Well, Mono Inc. might
not might not have the reach that Rammstein have, but 'Nimmermehr'
will cement their already solid reputation as a band that can
deliver. With songs such as 'Heile, Heile Segen ', 'My Deal With
God', 'Euathanasia', 'A Better Way To Die', 'Ich Teile Dich Nicht'
spanning gothic rock, electro-pop, symphonic metal and NDH
influences, there is an awful lot on 'Nimmermehr' to tick most
people's boxes. Throw in as well the sublime 'Kein Weg Zu Weit'
featuring Joachim Witt, and this album shapes up to be a serious
contender. Throughout 'Nimmermehr', Martin Engler gives some of his
best vocal performances to date and paired up with Joachim Witt he
easily holds his own.

With such diversity it
would be easy for the album to come off as disjointed in it's
execution. But it isn't. Instead the band have skilfully crafted an
album that is designed to tug on a range of emotions. Which it does
with great ease. But with ten releases to their name in a decade, it
would be stunning if they hadn't honed their abilities to this
degree.

After their top-ten
outing on 'After The War' last year, 'Nimmermehr' carries a lot of
expectation. But rather than shirk from the prospect of trying to top
their previous offering and resting on their laurels. Mono Inc. have
hit the ground running and used that momentum to freshen up their
approach and create another strong album.

Well, last year M’era Luna had a slight dip in attendance as
they “only” got 20,000 people through the gates. 2013 and this has been made up for, as the
event has sold out! 25,000 people purchased tickets.

Of course, when your headliners include the first appearance
of HIM at the festival since the very first event thirteen years ago – and the last
performance of Floor Jansen as Nightwish vocalist (or is it…?) then these are
factors that can help. However, it’s not
as if every other band were playing to three Goths and a whippet… this is a strong
line-up and got a deserved strong turnout.

Here are our picks of the bands for Saturday.

Molllust : too early for these ears!
Photo by Christoph Eisenmenger

As usual, the event is opened by the Newcomer Winners. This year’s winners are Molllust – a slightly over-the-top Opera Metal band from
Leipzig. Fronted by Janika Groß they are
really just a touch too overblown for this time of the morning! Just a hint too hysterical in places, they’re
not the best of recent winners unfortunately.

Lord of the Lost : taking all of our hearts
Photo by Christoph Eisenmenger

Lord of the Lost seem to be on surprisingly
early for their recent achievements in Germany. However, it was only last December that Chris had a throat operation so
it’s not impossible that this early slot was by request. Complete with plenty of charisma, Mr Harms
and his merry men plough through their blend of Gothic-Metal, from the stomping
‘Sex on Legs’ to their anthemic ‘Credo’ – which basically ends the set with
several thousand people waving their hands and singing “We give our hearts to the Lord of the Lost” like some initiation
into some scary religious cult or other. Have no fear kids, LotL are atheists.

Ost+Front : tonight Matthew we wish we were Rammstein
Photo by Bernd Zahn

If
LotL had ten minutes too short, Ost+Front
had about ten minutes too long. Or 20 minutes too long. Whatever. They’ve gone from being a promising
newcomer act when they played in 2011 to, well, an embarrassment really. They don’t really have the songs to complete
a 40 minute set and Hermann is a much weaker frontman than Chris was,
attempting to make up for the lack of songs with comedy uniforms, throwing
dwarves round stage and pelting the audience with chicken is, well… poor. Come on guys, sort this out – you were
excellent not two years ago and now you’re just a piss-poor Rammstein tribute
act.

Mesh had mentioned on Facebook
their schedule for the day. Wake up at 3am. Fly to Hannover. Travel to M’era
Luna. Play. Sign stuff. Go back to Hannover. Fly home. Bed by Midnight. It’s almost like a routine. That was kind of the weakness in their set
today, all very, come along to play some songs and leave and it lacked a final
edge. The set was made up virtually
entirely from tracks from the ‘Automation Baby’ (with the exception of old
track ‘You Didn’t Want Me’) and the album was number one in Germany, so hey (or
should that be HEY!?) why not? Certainly the bulk of the crowd seems to enjoy this although the set is
possibly missing a big hit from it. Although, ‘Born to Lie’ does have the
makings of a long-term classic for them.

Saltatio Mortis : more than a pipe dream!
Photo by Christoph Eisenmenger

If
you’ve ever been to a music festival that didn’t have Saltatio Mortis playing then unfortunately you’ve never been to a
good music festival. Maybe you thought
that Download was 10/10 but it didn’t have SM so therefore can’t be any better
than an 8 or 9 out of 10. They are the
ultimate feel-good festival band (even if their name does mean "Dance of death")
and guess what? No pyro’s, no OTT light shows, no gimmicks, no bullshit. Just A* tunes and A* audience
interaction. For three songs in a row the
entire audience has their arms in the air, waving or clapping. Add into this Alea’s general energy – leaping
around the stage with the band (and going for his trade mark
sing-a-song-whilst-crowd-surfing routine) and it’s not just a live show it’s a
workout! They’re moving on slightly from
their Mittelalter background, still plenty of bagpipes, but rock guitars seem to
be creeping in a bit. There is a new album coming so perhaps this signals a
slight change in direction for them. Of
course, they’re always a band for their sing-a-longs – and the “na, na,
na-na-na’s” and “woah-oh-oh-oh’s” can be heard echoing for hours later. You want one of the greatest live bands on
the planet right now? Look to Saltatio Mortis!

Cruxshadows : now you see us....
Photo by Christoph Eisenmenger

Poor
Cruxshadows have a tough spot. Sandwiched between Saltatio Mortis and Mono
Inc on the bill. But, CXS are a natural
live act it doesn’t matter if they’re on a tiny stage in a shitty club or on a
mainstage of a festival, they can cut it. It’s a slightly busy stage, with there now being eight live members (with
Jessica moving to live percussion) and sometimes it can be tricky to know where
to look next, the choreographed dancers, the violinists running around having
fun, Rogue and his mountaineering exploits. Though, the set begins with Rogue winning boss level of stealth attack,
he starts the show from the audience and NOBODY noticed him getting there – he just
disappeared from the stage and appeared in the crowd. Rumours have it that
Edward Snowden is writing to Rogue for tips on this. Not afraid to drop in tracks from their
fantastic recent album ‘As the Dark Against My Halo’, the likes of ‘Halo’ and ‘Angelus
Everlasting’ stand up nicely alongside longer serving hits like ‘Winterborn’
and ‘Birthday’. Alongside SM, it’s
another uplifting band for a sunny afternoon, uplifting? Pah! It’s a Goth
festival! ;-)

Mono Inc : would a change do good?
Photo by Christoph Eisenmenger

Some
interesting developments from Mono Inc –
their new album, ‘Nimmermehr’, marks a slight change in direction and
ideas. Also, for the first time – they’re
writing songs in German. At a time when
they’d finally being make in-roads to the UK market! Though ‘Heile, Heile, Segen’ has the distinct
Goth rawk of previous releases and it’s a pleasant surprise they wheel out
Joachim Witt to duet on ‘Kein Weg Zu Weit’. Incidentally, they’ll be touring
with the legendary new-wave singer in their tour later this year. Although the new material seems well
received, it is of course the older material like ‘Voices of Doom’ and ‘Get
Some Sleep’ that have the crowd in full voice – you can’t help but feel though
that they’re on the beginnings of an important transfusion in their career,
they wouldn’t be the first German band to hit a ceiling with their current
direction and then change to reach a wider audience.

For
some completely boggling reason Gothminster
clash with Mono Inc. Boggling
because when you go through the programme there’s a constant pattern throughout
that the Hangar stage band starts as the main stage band finishes – for all bar
GM who are already most way through their set when the masses come over from
Mono Inc to see their theatrical horror Goth. If you saw our review of their set at Preston, it’s more of the same. Blood, zombies, chainsaws – and a few songs
in there about darkness. It’s good,
honest.

ASP : Not Sing-Childing any more
Photo by Christoph Eisenmenger

Deine Lakaien and ASP are both back to back on the main stage after this. Both draw large crowds eating out their
hands. See above point under Mono Inc re: changing direction to reach a wider
audience. Plenty of ballads and the
likes. ASP have even dropped ‘Sing Child’.

Saturday’s
headliners are HIM – even Valo makes
joke of how long it’s been since they last played. Hopefully this won’t signal them as being
headliners every-other-year because that’s a trap ML had previously fallen
into. The big surprise tonight, however,
is how good HIM have become. Sure
long-term fangirls/fanboys will argue they’ve always been the greatest band
ever: but the past few years they’ve been painful to watch and even the early
days, when they had only two albums (albeit, two strong albums) their sets were
sometimes a little sloppy.

Opening
with ‘All Lips Go Blue’, the sound starts terrible and there’s a big question
on if it’ll be another off-day for them, but this all seems to be down to sound
problems on the stage which are swiftly resolved.

When,
for the second song, Valo announces “The next one is a golden oldie” and then
drops in ‘Buried Alive By Love’, a song from their 4th album (though
– that is over ten years old!) you could be worried it’s mostly going to be the
horrible rock shit they’ve been churning out in recent years – but, no... it’s a large mix through the era’s – though three album tracks from ‘Love Metal’ seems a bit odd.

‘Rip
Out The Wings Of A Butterfly’ could easily be renamed ‘Rip Off The Songs Of The
Mission’ but there are plenty of older tracks in there also, which understandably get huge responses – ‘Right
Here in these Arms’, ‘It’s All Tears’ and ‘When Love And Death Embrace’ amongst
the really old-school HIM tracks.

Since
cleaning himself up, Valo’s voice is on top form and there’s a glow about them that
right now they’re the slickest and best they’ve EVER been. It’s all luscious and bittersweet – and whilst
purists might hate them, there are constant nods to bands like The Sisters and
The Mission in their set.

Whilst
putting them on could have been seen as a gamble – it’s certainly one that has
returned dividends.